Precipitation in the system Al-0.05 wt pct Fe

Abstract

The precipitation reaction in an aluminum alloy containing 0.05 wt pct Fe (enriched in Fe57) was studied using Mössbauer spectroscopy. It was found that in addition to the equilibrium precipitate, Fe Al3, the metastable phase FeAl6 occurs as well. Formation of FeAl6 is favored when the rate of precipitation is accelerated by cold working the supersaturated alloy. Step anneal experiments were performed in an effort to determine an activation energy for growth of precipitate particles. The results of these experiments are not entirely consistent with simple models of the nucleation and growth process.